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Friday, March 23, 2012

For the last few weeks my sister and I have been planning and working on our Momma's 50th Birthday Party!

She has known all along that she is having the party but she has no idea about anything other than the place and time... We just keep saying we have a THEME!!!

She is gonna love it!

So for Photo Friday a SNEAK PEAK for you as to what will be happening next week when I show you the party and what we did/how to recreate it and for our Momma... a SNEAK PEAK into what her party will look like!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Do you ever feel like you are giving away your memories with your stuff? I always feel bad about giving things away or selling some of the kids things that they don't use anymore...

I have recently been selling/giving away some of the kids stuff... Well to tell the TRUTH I have been doing it since Delaney grew out of 0-3 month clothes... but at that time I just gave away what I didn't want to keep, any of her nicer dresses and outfits I kept, lots of toys and blankies and such all with the hope that we might have another daughter. When we found out we were having a boy this time around I got rid of a lot of the girl stuff but still kept just as much as I gave away...

Right after Max was born while still in the hospital looking down at his little face I said to Robyn... "I'm done" and as much as I would have a million babies and I would still love to have lots and lots more I am sooooo done!

(I didn't realize how different the two C-sections would be I guess but after Max I knew I couldn't do it anymore but that is a different post!)

So lately I have been giving away like crazy!!!!

I had to take this pic not even thinking of posting it but because even though it was just a material item and it was way to big to keep clunking around it was where my babies laid their heads at night for the first months of their lives... I wanted to remember that. I wanted to be able to say... this was where you were safest... mind you there are pictures of them both in the flipping thing so I am sure they will figure it out but I had to take the picture for me!

I know that while things cary a memory they are not the memory and I know that you can't keep everything... well you can but thats how you end up on one of those hoarders shows and my image can't take that...

So I gave the bassinet to a not for profit run by a friend of my Mom. (If your in our area it's call Hand Me Ups! and I can give you the info if you want to donate!) It broke my heart and it still hurts a little, but I know that the memory of waking up each morning (to the whimpers and cries of a hungry newborn) lying in the green bassinet next to my side of the bed, walking past a sleepy looking one month old as she drifted off to sleep in the living room, the memory of stripping all the linens off the bassinet and washing the works of it when we switched Delaney from Breast to Formula, and doing it all over again with Max when he had the stomach bug he caught from Delaney... those memories, those late night moments we shared just me and my babies I can never give those away and to tell the TRUTH... which is what Thursday is all about... I don't need the bassinet, I don't need the picture... I have those two kiddos and when I look at them no matter how big they get I still see that bassinet and I still hear the whimpers and fussing of Max as he pulled the blanket up over his face or the cries of Delaney because that kid was NEVER full...

So give it all away... sell it all... doesn't matter you can't take the memories away with the item...

Where do you stand on giving things away?? Does it hurt your heart a little each time like it does me or is just an item from start to finish with you? Tell your TRUTH in the comments!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Wondering how to keep track of your pre-school kiddos activities? This is how I've been doing it for the last few months!

We got this lovely calendar from a friend for Valentines day, we already had one that we use to keep track of appointments and what we need to do for the week, when registration for story time is all the usual stuff... but as soon as we opened it and saw that it was a coloring calendar with pages that were easy to write on I knew exactly what to do with it!

So on the first of the month we sit down and color the picture of the the princesses and then I fill in the activities on the day that we will be doing them!

It gives Delaney a chance to be a part of it and it also gives her an idea of what she will be doing and when... which makes her feel grown up and more a part of our daily activities...

As you can see its not always something elaborate or crazy... sometimes its as easy as the letter of the day or a color or that time is going ahead, just lets her know that we will be working on something and what it is. Plus it helps her keep me on my toes, she goes to the calendar and lets me know what is on there for the day or she looks at me and asks "What does today say Momma?"

Do we stick to it to the letter... ARE YOU KIDDING? of course not... there are lots of days that we don't do what is written down for the day but it does give us a better schedule or idea of a schedule...

Do you have schedule for your daily activities? How do you keep up with your kids? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Monday, March 19, 2012

I am such a lover of scalloped potatoes...
Its another one of those foods that I have only eaten since I have been an adult. I had never really tried them until I had them at Robyn's parents house, I didn't want to try them (I am not a fan of cream sauces... or I wasn't) but I gave it a try...

AND I fell in love...

I was trying to find a quick and easier way to make them and enjoy them without all the fuss. I found a few recipes but if you have been reading for a while you will know that I NEVER and I mean NEVER have everything needed for a recipe... so I made it my own with a few tricks found in those recipes...

Place potatoes in a large bowl, pour a full kettle of boiling water over the potatoes. (if necessary weigh them down with a plate or small bowl so that the water covers all the potatoes you may need more or less water) wait until the water gets to room temperature before removing. Meanwhile make a rue with your flour and butter (melt the butter and add the flour, cook the mix for about 4-5 mins to cook the flour) add the milk (which is best at room temp.) when the milk thickens (think béchamel) add the entire can of cream soup. When the sauce and soup are well mixed add the cheese and stir until melted. Mix 1/2 of the sauce with the potatoes gently then put into an oven safe dish top with additional cheese and bake at 350 degrees until the potatoes are cooked and are no longer hard. (about 20 minutes)

Put the remaining sauce into a container or freezer bag pop it in the freezer and save it for the next time you want scalloped potatoes on the fly!

I totally stole the hot water on the potatoes thing from my mother in law... It slightly cooks the potatoes so that they don't take as long in the oven plus a lot of the starch from the potatoes comes out in the water so that when the potatoes cook they don't gum up together like you get sometimes with scalloped potatoes... Its a simple trick which saves you time and makes them yummier... totally worth the extra step!

Have you adjusted a favorite recipe to make it quicker or easier than the original but keep up on taste? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!